Paul exhorted Timothy with these words: “I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine” (2 Timothy 4:1-2).
Each year at the end of Polishing the Pulpit, a seasoned preacher gives a final charge to the preachers.… Continue Reading
The heart of the gospel is the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. Paul began the great resurrection chapter, “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.… Continue Reading
“When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.… Continue Reading
One of the most popular areas of speculation in our religious world today is in the area of setting the date for the second coming of Christ. Many point to the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948, the arrival of the computer age, or even the introduction of the social security number, to say that the “signs” show Jesus is coming “soon.”… Continue Reading
Where should we turn in the Bible to learn what we must do to become Christians? Matthew, Mark, Luke and John all describe the life and ministry of Jesus. As Jesus was with the disciples at Caesarea, He promised “I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18). Since the church was not built until after His death, it is the book of Acts which describes what we must do to become Christians, or members of His church.… Continue Reading
Pentecost was one of the three great feast days of the Jews. (The other two being Passover and Tabernacles.) They observed all three of these feast days by making a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Christians know Pentecost as the birthday of the church, from Acts chapter two. It was the day on which Peter and the other apostles first preached the good news of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, when “they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.”… Continue Reading
As Jesus neared the end of His discussion of the “Good Shepherd,” He said, “As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd” (John 10:15-16).… Continue Reading
13-year-old Evan O’Dorney of Danville, CA took home the 2007 Scripps National Spelling Bee championship by spelling the medical term serrefine (small forceps). Spelling bees have been around since before we were children, but seem to be getting new life these days, with the finals of the spelling bee making prime time on ABC. I applaud this, because correct spelling is having a hard time competing with email and text messaging short cuts.… Continue Reading
Doing some excavating on his North Carolina farm in 1799, Conrad Reed discovered a strange rock. Three years later, in 1802, a Fayetteville jeweler offered him $3.50 for the rock. It turned out that the rock was gold, and had a value of $3,600. This was the beginning of the Reed Gold Mine. In those three years before learning he had a large gold nugget, Reed had been using the rock as a doorstop.… Continue Reading
The virgin birth refers to the birth of Jesus Christ in fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah 7:14, made more than seven hundred years before His birth. “Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily.… Continue Reading
Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John all record the triumphal entry of Christ into Jerusalem. Mark and Luke record the instructions of Jesus to the disciples to go into the village to “find a colt tied, whereon never man sat” (Mark 11:2; Luke 19:30). John also mentions only one animal (John 12:12-18). Matthew, however, mentions two animals: “an ass tied, and a colt with her” (Matthew 21:2).… Continue Reading
The fifteenth chapter of 1 Corinthians is Paul’s most lengthy and detailed defense of the principle of the resurrection. He stressed that the resurrection is at the very heart of the gospel of Christ: “For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4).… Continue Reading
What is it like to be deployed to the field to fight to defend our country? USAA Magazine suggested the following to see what it is like:
1. Use 18 scoops of coffee per pot and allow it to sit for five or six hours before drinking.
2. Replace your garage door with a curtain.
3. Sleep on a cot in the garage.… Continue Reading
John chapter 4 describes the scene at the well outside the little Samaritan village of Sychar. Jesus had offered the Samaritan woman living water, and demonstrated He could truly give her that living water by telling her about her life, and her many husbands. Her wondering response was, “Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet” (John 4:19). When she spoke of the conflict between the Jews and the Samaritans over whether men should worship in Jerusalem or Mount Gerizim, Jesus spoke of the proper worship then and in the days to come.… Continue Reading
By pitting one verse against another, the Bible sometimes seems contradictory. God, the Creator of the universe inspired the Bible, though, so there cannot be any real contradictions. Apparent contradictions disappear with proper understanding of the text.
Emphasizing man’s need to rely on the grace of God, Paul wrote, “by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).… Continue Reading
Peter concludes the first chapter of his second epistle with these words: “We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.… Continue Reading
It is quite common in today’s religious world to reject the biblical teaching of the reality and duration of hell. Many claim that the old time understanding of “eternal hell fire” is out of character for a loving God, and that when this life is over, the unsaved will simply cease to exist. This is an appealing doctrine to many, because it eliminates the possibility of punishment for sin.… Continue Reading
“Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him” (Matthew 2:1-2). A star led these wise men, called in the original Greek text the magoi (thus often called the Magi, today).… Continue Reading
As Jesus passed by, he saw a man that had been blind from birth. His disciples asked, “Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?” Their question reflected an indifference to the man’s suffering, as well as a theological misunderstanding (that it was possible for a child to sin in the womb). Jesus answered, rejecting the idea that either the man or his parents were responsible for his blindness.… Continue Reading
Poet e. e. cummings (who always seemed weird because he didn’t use capitals in his name), has some wise words in his A Poet’s Advice to Students (1955). “To be nobody-but-yourself—in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else—means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting.”… Continue Reading
